Yana Volfson of Cosme and Atla Shares the Mezcal Cocktail She’ll Be Making This Cinco de Mayo

“Let’s not forget, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday the celebrates the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican war in 1862,” says Yana Volfson, beverage director at New York’s Cosme and Atla—the award-winning Mexican restaurant on 21st street and its newer, more casual sister restaurant that’s open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and now, late-night service until 2:00 a.m. (inspired by the mezcalerias of Mexico City).

Though the holiday isn’t celebrated with great pomp and circumstance in Mexico, here in the States, Cinco de Mayo has become a day fueled by margaritas, Micheladas and plenty of tacos. It’s only fitting that Volfson and her team at Atla will be focusing this weekend on cocktail specials made from mezcals from Puebla, like the Flower Warrior cocktail featuring Leyenda Puebla mezcal from the northern valleys of Puebla. (Volfson shared the recipe exclusively with Vogue, below.)

Mezcal, for the uninitiated, is a Mexican spirit made from the hearts of the agave plant. While tequila is made from just blue agave, mezcal is a combination of various agave plants (most commonly espadin). The mezcal gets its smokiness, a description often linked to the spirit, when the agave hearts are roasted in underground pits with wood and rocks.

With the widespread popularity of mezcal in the U.S. these days, you can find the long-overlooked spirit on cocktail lists all across the country. At Atla, however, mezcal has always been a core element of the beverage program—it makes up almost the entire spirits list, which features more than 40 artisanal mezcals from varying Mexican regions, at all different price points (including Vogue-favorite Yola Mezcal), available to sip neat or try in one of their mezcal-based cocktails (many of which are made with techniques and ingredients, like canela and tepache, typical of Mexico).

“I am really committed to making this a place where people can really learn about mezcal. Our staff is very knowledgeable and passionate about it and they are eager to talk about it with guests who want to know more and share in that passion,” explains Volfson. “But you have to understand that it’s a slow process that will take time.” Mezcal is quite possibly one of the most complicated spirits out there.

To further their guests’ mezcal education, Atla offers tastings (served in traditional religious prayer candle glasses) paired with everything from Katz’s Deli meats, to chocolate, to citrus fruits. “It’s a great way for people to explore mezcal and understand a little better. People often just use ‘smoky’ as a descriptor when it comes to mezcal but when you are tasting these pairings, you can start to think about some of the other flavors in there,” says Volfson, who previously ran the beverage program at Freeman’s and Peels, and designed the beverage program at Russ & Daughters Cafe before landing at Cosme and Atla. “Beyond ‘smoke,’ you might detect notes of tropical fruit, fresh-cut grass, roasted pineapple, or pine resin—the list goes on and on depending on the aging process it has been through, the climate and region in which the agave is grown, and the blend of different agaves. For example, espadin tends to lend an herbaceous quality, while something like barril adds more of a dry, mineral quality.”

Mezcals from Puebla, the newest region in Mexico to become certified as an Appellation of Origin, are a little harder to find in the States than those hailing from somewhere like Oaxaca, but worth tracking down if you can. They’re generally a little more floral, lighter on the smoke factor and easier to drink than some of the mezcals you might find from a region like Oaxaca. Leyenda Puebla (the mezcal in Volfson’s Flower Warrior cocktail, below, and in Atla’s Montezuma’s Revenge cocktail) and Del Maguey, also served at Alta, are both available Stateside.

If you happen to be in New York for Cinco de Mayo this year, make your way to Atla to try some of these mezcals from Puebla. (Angelenos, the Atla/Cosme team’s next restaurant project will be in L.A. Maybe next year you’ll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo there.) If not, here’s a specialty cocktail by Volfson featuring mezcal from the region to try out at home—plus a tequila drink for the next day if you need some healing vibes.

Doctor X

Doctor X is named after a Mexican Wrestler and also uses all ingredients medicinal. Kava Kava is an herb taken for its calming affects, chili and cocoa are energetic and vigor enhancing ingredients; fernet is an herbal infusion of barks and roots. Crafted by Yana Volfson, Beverage Director of Cosme andAtla

Combine all ingredients in canister and bring to temperature. Strain over fresh cold draft cubes and top with two ounces of soda water. Finish the cocktail with three dashes of fernet valet and garnish with our candied ginger off the side of the glass by using two toothpicks to balance the garnish.